Critique and form : Adorno on Godot and Endgame

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Abstract

The most common criticism of Beckett's theatre is its supposed obscurity. Early defenders of Godot and Endgame were themselves criticised as formalists for their inability to say what these plays were 'about' or 'meant'. Adorno's theory of the modernist artwork explained the historical development of art's opaque content and Beckett's own reluctance to explain his plays, solving an impasse in Beckett criticism with his account of the new historical role of aesthetic form as critique.
Original languageEnglish
Article number19
Pages (from-to)277-292
Number of pages16
JournalSamuel Beckett Today / Aujourd'hui: annual bilingual review
Volume14
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2004

Keywords

  • Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989
  • plays
  • theater

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